Thursday, June 18, 2009

Elihu Eli El, a 39-year-old Takoma Park resident, has announced his formation of an exploratory committee for a run at District 20 Delegate. El is a computer programmer, an instructor in the U.S. Army Reserve, a former member of the Teamsters and an active member of the District 20 Democratic Caucus.

Delegate Tom Hucker (D-20) is not loved by the other three members of his delegation. One source of unhappiness was his distribution of the "Hucker Ballot" last November. Could a newcomer like El benefit from tension among the incumbents and squeak through? Don't laugh - Gareth Murray did just that back in 2002 (although he benefited mightily from incumbent Dana Dembrow's domestic violence difficulties).

Following is El's announcement email.FRIENDS OF ELI Dear Friend,

This movement will be built by ordinary citizens from the bottom up. We need your donation in order to get this campaign up and running. We don't want this to end before it really gets started. This process has been a real human experience -- there's a strong community that's emerging here among our supporters. However, this recession has hit our families unexpectedly. Most supporters are visiting the website and donating $20 or less. You may also elect to make a small recurring amount by checking the "Make my selection a recurring payment" checkbox. I know what I'm asking is hard. I know that politics and politicians have disappointed you so many times before, to the point where sometimes it seems easier just to tune out and walk away. But what you have to remember is that when you walk away, the same old politics wins every time. That's what all the people who benefit from politics as a game are counting on. That's why we need you. That's why I can't do this alone:

It's a feeling that's bigger than the excitement of a typical political campaign. It's the feeling of a movement. And that movement isn't just here in Maryland. It's in every state, as shown by the record number of people getting involved. We're just a few thousand donors shy of getting our campaign off the ground and you owning a piece of this campaign. Make your first donation of $5 now. We're also working together to change the broken political process that requires candidates to spend so much of their time raising money as opposed to focusing on issue advocacy.

That potential to revive that feeling of community and connection is why we decided to do this. We knew there was an opportunity to change politics, to make it about hope and a shared passion for our common future. And we knew that other people who feel the same way would come back into the process or decide to participate for the first time. We're closer to something historic than anyone ever imagined we could be. It's the culmination of talking and listening and building the kind of organization that engages people.

I hope you understand how much of a difference it makes to raise this money in a different way. Rather you are a family member, friend, or professional contact, I am proud that you are a part of this.